MSG Screws Ranger Fans in the Playoffs

[Chuck_IV]

Even regular season tickets are going through the roof. I remember just a few years ago, I went to a Blue Jackets game in Columbus and I got 2nd row behind the glass for $72 each. Same seats at the harder were $3-400. This was when Columbus was a playoff team and the Rangers weren’t. 
 

While this kind of thing does happen around the league, they really do not happen to the extreme that Dolan does it. 

[Capt]

There is a point when they will go to far.  I really believe that sports in general are in trouble in the future.  The entire business model of PSLs, dynamic pricing, squeezing every penny out of the fan is very short sighted.  My fandom is a direct result of attending games with my dad as a child.  When young kids don't get to attend games they do not grow a connection to the sport or team.  They are benefiting now from getting the most money they can get out of generations of fans that grew up attending games and having a special connection with their "teams". Unfortunately for them in doing so they are creating a generation of people who can give a shit about sports and further aren't used to going to games.  So when those kids grow up they are even less likely to spend their hard earned money buying an overpriced ticket to a game.   

[RangersIn7]

It’s gotten out of hand honestly. Just about everywhere. 

 

In 07-08, my ex-wife and I were in NY and took my nephew, who was 5-6 at the time to Rangers-Pens, and the whole evening cost us probably $225-250.

 

A few years later, we did the exact same thing with similar seats and spent in excess of $350. 
 

Last time I was at Yankee Stadium, I got 3 beers, a soda, and 4 sandwiches for myself, my brother, my uncle, and my nephew, and it cost me like $90

[Blue Heaven]

32 minutes ago, RangersIn7 said:

It’s gotten out of hand honestly. Just about everywhere. 

 

In 07-08, my ex-wife and I were in NY and took my nephew, who was 5-6 at the time to Rangers-Pens, and the whole evening cost us probably $225-250.

 

A few years later, we did the exact same thing with similar seats and spent in excess of $350. 
 

Last time I was at Yankee Stadium, I got 3 beers, a soda, and 4 sandwiches for myself, my brother, my uncle, and my nephew, and it cost me like $90

Bingo!  I am going to California in August and I am going to a dodgers game.  3 seats in the upper deck is $60....EACH.....UPPER DECK!!!!  Its not just a Dolan thing squeezing the fan, its every single big market/mid market owner.  FFS Isles tixs at UBS were just as expensive as Rangers tickets if you went through Ticketmaster.  

[Pete]

Again...it's simply another example of the classist society we live in.

 

In a way, the middle class are now experiencing what the poor have experienced forever. 

 

Also, don't just blame owners. Blame unions and agents. 

Edited April 23, 2022 by Pete

[Bugg]

On 4/15/2022 at 9:55 AM, ThirtyONE said:

"It's New York" and "It's MSG." Is a bullshit excuse for anything. I know we've all been trained to think that that's fine and it's the price you pay to live/work in new york, but I'm sorry, MSG isn't some kind of special experience. The Rangers have not been selling out this year, even though they're the best they've been in years. Maybe some of that is due to covid but I'd argue it has mostly to do with prices, considering the empty seats are the ones in the lower bowl.

MSG has been bailed out by this run. There are still a lot of Manhattan white collar jobs post Covid that are still fully or partially remote. And going forward there may be less and less of a market of "suits" willing to overpay.The people MSG expects to pay these prices may not be as numerous when this gets settled. 

 

Had season tickets on and off from early 1980s through mid 1990s. Could with ASP usually drive from Brooklyn into the city and get a free steet spot. Now when i go I take the subway, which frankly I hate but there is no alternative unless you want to get hit off the head with the cash register.  But between getting married, kids, biz, and above all cost, simply the Rangers have been mostly a TV experience, and a pretty good one. Will typically take in a road trip (this season Vegas, next shooting for Nashville) with the family and game here and there at MSG. It really is enough. Where I still single and kicking shit, who knows, but for now, that's okay. 

 

As a TV experience; piggybacking on my son's Disney+ account to get Hulu. Like watching late West Coast games, especially when I have a parlay going. But suspect viewers generally are beginning to realize streaming is nothing more than a way to get more money out of saturated television markets. You are getting the same thing cable gave you at a way higher price, and the tech is more of a pain in the ass than an improvement. Suspect CNN+, DIsney+ and the Netflix bad news of the last few weeks is a trend to be watched. Not all these companies are going to be around when the music stops. Netflix is really shocking to me because when you consider how they got started, you would think they would be way sharper than this. Throwing money at various people who nobody wants to watch(Hannah Gadsby?) is dumb. 

Edited April 23, 2022 by Bugg

[Bugg]

4 hours ago, Capt said:

There is a point when they will go to far.  I really believe that sports in general are in trouble in the future.  The entire business model of PSLs, dynamic pricing, squeezing every penny out of the fan is very short sighted.  My fandom is a direct result of attending games with my dad as a child.  When young kids don't get to attend games they do not grow a connection to the sport or team.  They are benefiting now from getting the most money they can get out of generations of fans that grew up attending games and having a special connection with their "teams". Unfortunately for them in doing so they are creating a generation of people who can give a shit about sports and further aren't used to going to games.  So when those kids grow up they are even less likely to spend their hard earned money buying an overpriced ticket to a game.   

Had Jets season tickets from Shea until year 2 of the PSL stupidity. Metlife is far and away the ugliest stadium on earth. Impossible to get in and out of, road access worse than before, the train from and to Penn is like a re-enactment of the train station scenes in "Schindler's List" complete with dogs and guns. Entire thing was geared to luxury boxes, but the times I've gone since looks like at least during Jets games the bulk of them are vacant.  The team sucking forever also doesn't help. 

 

Have a family member who  is friendly  with the Giants ownership family. The day after the Giants' first road game in Dallas seeing the Jerry Dome, Giants' ownership had a very angry 8am Monday phone call with the MetLife builders that was essentially WHAT THE FUCK DID WE PAY A BILLION DOLLARS FOR? 

 

I lkike to have a few beers at the game. But the NFL also has the unfortunate habit of attracting dregs to their games. Last few times I went there were tons of people completely out of it, not watching the game. Fights, vomit, obnoxious behavior, no thanks. 

Edited April 23, 2022 by Bugg

[Pete]

23 hours ago, Bugg said:

Suspect CNN+, DIsney+ and the Netflix bad news of the last few weeks

What bad news for D+?

[Bugg]

2 hours ago, Pete said:

What bad news for D+?

Stock price dropping thru the floor, perhaps? 

[Pete]

2 minutes ago, Bugg said:

Stock price dropping thru the floor, perhaps? 

Had no idea, was on vacation.

[Blue Heaven]

3 hours ago, Bugg said:

Stock price dropping thru the floor, perhaps? 

Disney+ isn’t struggling. Stock price is dropping bc of the issues with DeSantis and he’s trying to screw Disney 

[Sod16]

I see so many people who don't have money saved for college or retirement, live in modest homes, and somehow choose to spend eye popping money on tickets, parking and food at professional sporting events.  I also know many very wealthy people who would never spend big money on sports tickets.  Studies show most high net worth individuals live below their means.

 

Playoff tickets were heavily advertised on MSG tonight.  My guess is that with the pricing, there must be a glut on the secondary market with season holders looking to sell their first round tickets and limit their damage by only going to select games in the second round if they make it.

 

A quick walk down memory lane to demonstrate what a real recession will do: during the severe slump of 1991, I was out in front of MSG trying to sell extra playoff tix for five bucks.  The previous year, when I had an extra they went for at least double face.